October 30, 2007

Hornets.com will be interviewing visiting players throughout the 2007-08 regular season during their trips to New Orleans, as part of our 1-on-1 feature. First up: former Hornets center Brad Miller, who began his NBA career with the franchise in 1998-99. Miller is now in his 10th year in the league and is one of basketball’s most unique personalities.

Hornets.com joked with the 7-foot Purdue product about several topics – including cornrows, hunting and Reggie Theus’ defensive emphasis – during Tuesday’s Read to Achieve outing. The community event, which featured appearances by members of the Sacramento Kings and Hornets, was hosted by the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas in downtown New Orleans.

Hornets.com: You and Tyson Chandler played together with the Bulls for a season and a half. What is your perspective on how much he has improved as a player from then to now?
Miller: Yeah, we were teammates, but then Chicago traded me, because Tyson was the franchise player and he played the same position as me! [grins] Well, he still doesn’t have a jump shot, but other than that. … but seriously, the thing I like about Tyson is that I could tell he was going to always work hard. He was a young guy coming out of high school, but he always put in the extra time and effort at practices. He had his own shooting coach who was trying to help him improve. You could see the potential was there for him to be a good player, especially with his length (at 7-foot-1).

Hornets.com: What impact will Reggie Theus have on the Kings in terms of style of play or parts of the game that will be emphasized?
Miller: He’s been pretty tough on us. We’ve been having very long practices that are kind of like college, where you might go for three or four hours a practice. There is a lot of accountability, where if you mess up, he’s going to tell you about it and you’re going to come out of the game. Team defense is also a big thing for us – between him and (assistant coach) Chuck Person, they are on us every day about defensive rotations and helping your teammates.

Hornets.com: When Theus starts talking about the importance of defense, do you or any of your teammates ever point out the fact that he played 13 years in the NBA and pretty much didn’t guard anyone?
Miller: [laughs] Well, he reminded us that he was a defensive specialist in college when he played for UNLV. He says that’s what he was drafted for. But the thing is, when he got to the NBA, he quit playing defense, so he doesn’t really understand how to play defense in the league. [grins]

Hornets.com: Do you believe him when he says he was a defensive specialist in college?
Miller: Maybe in college. But he can’t lie to us. All we have to do is go to the tapes if we want to see how bad he was (defensively) in the league.

Hornets.com: Give us your review of Theus’ acting skills on the Saturday morning TV show “Hang Time.”
Miller: [laughs] Uh, I’m going to let him slide on that one. But we can always kill him on some of the other stuff, like the pictures he did when he was trying to be a model.

Hornets.com: Your bio mentions that you are an avid hunter for turkey, bear and deer. Which did you prefer and why?
Miller: I just shot a bear recently, but deer hunting has got to be my favorite. I do that a lot on my property back home (in Indiana). I’ll hunt for pretty much anything. I shot a gator this year, a pig… so I’ve got a lot of options.

Hornets.com: What was the reason behind your decision to sport cornrows this season?
Miller: Well, I hadn’t cut my hair in awhile. I figured if I was going to (get cornrows), I had to do it while I was still in the NBA, because that’s the only time you can get away with it. And also the fact of who I am, I thought it was going to be pretty darn funny. It really wasn’t for style reasons; it was more for fun and as a joke. Plus, I also got some money out of it.

Hornets.com: Wait, how did you get money out of it?
Miller: I brought up the idea of getting cornrows to one of my teammates, and told him, “if you give me X amount of money, I’ll do it.” He agreed, so I did it.

Hornets.com: People forget this, but you actually started your career with the Hornets as an undrafted free agent. You quickly emerged as a surprising contributor off the bench. What is your favorite memory from when you were a Hornet?
Miller: Just getting a chance to get in the league. They gave me an opportunity when no one else did, after I was undrafted. I have fond memories of being a young, dumb rookie. [grins] And also memories of some of the great people who worked in the organization, including a bunch of people who still do.